from mild to wild - snohomish county you prefer “in your face” action, try staying upright in a...

FROM MILD ... TO WILD in Snohomish County, Washington

In our corner of the

Northwest you can explore a

tidepool, hike to a mountain

lake, and reel in a prized

salmon all in a day. But

nobody’s keeping score, so

spend the whole day strolling

under an ancient forest

canopy hunting for exotic

chanterelle mushrooms.

If you prefer “in your face” action, try staying upright in a kayak on

the class IV+ rapids on the upper Skykomish River. Or you could don a

wetsuit and explore an underwater park loaded with shipwrecks. Of

course there’s rock climbing, mountain biking, glider rides and

skydiving. And as long as you’re keeping that kind of pace, why not

end the day by hiking up to camp out at a remote fire lookout. For a

complete rundown of all the action in Snohomish County, visit

www.snohomish.org.

First, the tamer pursuits:

1. Beach Walking From rocky shores teaming

with tidepools, to sandy beaches perfect for sunset strolls, it’s all in

Snohomish County.

Every summer thousands of people take guided shoreline walks with

Everett Parks and Edmonds Beach rangers. They take the mystery out of

things like tides, why starfish are called fish, why beach creatures can be

hard to find and how they survive out of water. For details on the walks

call us toll-free at 888-338-0976.

You could spend an entire evening watching the sun set over the

Olympic Mountains It goes down as late as 10 p.m. at Brackett’s

Landing, just north of the Edmonds ferry terminal. The waterfront park

has picnic tables, and a paved trail around a jetty. You could spend an

entire evening watching the sun set over the Olympic Mountains. It goes

down as late as 10 p.m. at Brackett’s Landing, just north of the Edmonds

ferry terminal. The waterfront park has picnic tables, and a paved trail

around a jetty. Edmonds Visitor Center (425) 776-6711

Story Ideas and Travel Tips from Snohomish County Tourism Bureau

Mild Action: 1. Beach walks & tide-pools

2. Historic lighthouse

3. Skate, saddle & stroll

4. Easy forest & lake hikes

5. Mushroom hunting

6. Salmon fishing

7. Rock hounding

8. Minor League baseball!

Wild Action: 9. Radical rapids

10. Shipwreck dives

11. Airborne Fun

12. Cascade Climbing

13. Trail running

14. Mountain Biking at mid-

night

15. Firewatching

Free Hiking Guides available by calling the

Snohomish County Tourism

Bureau at (888) 338-0976

or visiting our website at

www.snohomish.org.

Snohomish County Tourism Bureau • 1133 164th St. SW, Suite 204 • Lynnwood, WA 98087

(425) 348-5802 • Fax (425) 348-5701 • 1-888-338-0976 • www.snohomish.org

2. Visit an Historic

Lighthouse On summer weekends you can

tour the Mukilteo Lighthouse. The

building and its French-made lens

are more than 100 years old, and

although they’re now fully

automated, the lighthouse still

sends its signal out to guide ships

through Possession Sound. The

U.S. Coast Guard recently turned

stewardship over to the Mukilteo

Historical Society, which has

restored the building.

It’s only open weekends from

12p.m-5p.m., and groups of four

or more can even climb the

circular staircase up into the top

of the lighthouse. (425) 513-

9602

3. Skate, Saddle or Stroll Four designated trail systems

in Snohomish County offer miles

of scenic cycling, rollerblading,

walking or horseback riding.

Stroll or cycle along 10.5 miles of

the paved Interurban trail

between Lynnwood and Everett, or

take your horses (they stick to a

grassy trail beside the paved

path), blades or bike and meander

along the 30-mile Centennial trail

between the town of Snohomish

and northern Snohomish-Skagit

County border. Or explore the

Lowell Riverfront and Langus

Riverfront trails in Everett, which

offer history, wildlife viewing and

peaceful walks. Catch your

breath at picnic tables and

benches that dot the trails. You’ll

even find a watering hole for

horses on Centennial trail in

Machias. Snohomish County

trails are convenient and fun for

everyone. Ample trailhead

parking and restrooms; handicap

accessible. Snohomish County

Parks Dept (425) 388-6600

4. Easy Forest Forays

Nothing will humble you

quicker than wandering through

an ancient forest. In an old-

growth forest, the trees are at

least 200 years old - and growing.

Some may be 800 years old,

reaching 9-feet in diameter. In

the forest primeval, it’s the

journey that counts, not the

destination. Notice the spongy

“give” of the carpet of needles

below you, taste the salal berry, a

favorite of Native Americans. Or

sink your fingers into the deep

grooves in the bark of one of these

giants, and when the wind is just

right, hear the tree perform a

creaking solo.

The Stillaguamish and

Skykomish rivers have some of the

healthiest summer and winter

runs of hatchery Steelhead in the

state, and a not-to-be-missed

spring run of prized Wild

Steelhead. You would be wise to

hire a guide though. These fish

can weigh in at well over 20

pounds, and they fight. Catching

one on a fly is akin to a religious

experience.

There's also good saltwater

fishing from the Edmonds Fishing

Pier. It's open 24-hours a day and

is wheelchair accessible.

And the bass fishing is also

very good on some of our larger

lakes such as Goodwin and

Stevens. Contact us for a

complete listing of charter

operations and fishing guides in

the area. For license info, call

(360)902-2200.

Here are some of the easiest

lowland trails through old-growth

forests:

· West Cady Creek-one of the best

examples in Western Washington of an

undisturbed (and unprotected) old

growth forest on US Hwy 2 near

Index. Skykomish Ranger District

(360)677-2414

· North Fork Sauk River Trail-Giant trees

line the first mile, including red

cedars 9-feet in diameter on the

Mountain Loop.

· Boulder River-Thick old-growth in a

lowland river valley between Arlington

and Darrington.

· Youth on Age-This easy trail is less

than a mile long and wheelchair

accessible. You’ll see trees 500 years

old with interpretive signs alongside.

Stop in at the Verlot Ranger station on

the Mountain Loop for a guidebook.

· Lake 22 and Heather Lake Trails-Two

short trails outside Granite Falls, each

with distinctive cathedral cedar and fir

forests. Lake 22 trail also has a series

of lovely waterfalls. Heather Lake trail

starts out in dense second-growth

forest and tops a ridge into a fairy tale

forest primeval. Both trailheads are

well marked off the Mountain Loop.

For a list of 25 popular day and

overnight hikes, contact Snohomish

County Tourism Bureau office. Verlot

Ranger District. (360) 691-7791

5. Hunting Forest Fungi As you hike our forests (if you

know where to look) you can find

the same kinds of wild

mushrooms you’ve probably eaten

in fine restaurants. Morels, golden

and white chanterelles and

American matsutake sprout up

quickly in the dark, damp reaches

of most Northwest forests,

especially around Darrington and

along the Mountain Loop

Highway.

Seasoned pickers guard their

favorite spots the way fishers

protect their secret fishing holes.

It’s no wonder, since mushroom

Trail Tips: 1. Preplan the trip.

2. Don’t go alone.

3. Leave details on the trip with someone.

4. Always carry food, water, clothing, a first-

aid kit, whistle, compass, and a good

map.

5. Check the weather, but know that it can

change quickly!

Source: Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office

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buyers pay as much as $14 a

pound for some varieties like

matsutakes. Washington is the first

state to regulate commercial

harvesting of edible mushrooms.

Recreational picking is allowed

without restriction on public lands.

But, before you forage away,

remember that in mushroom

hunting, accuracy is a matter of life

and death. So, it’s smart to hunt

with a guidebook or better still, hire

a guide. For help with identifying

wild mushrooms call the Puget

Sound Mycological Society at

(206) 523-2892.

6. Go Cast a Fishing Line Salmon have always been a

cultural icon in the Northwest.

There’s nothing quite like the

feeling of reeling in a 10-pound

King or Silver Salmon. The fishing

action’s good year-round in Puget

Sound. Kings, Silvers and Humpies

run through the summer, and by

October, the Winter Blackmouth

start running.

Charter operations out of

Everett and Edmonds can take you

out on Puget Sound year-round. Or

hire a guide to join you on one of

our fine local rivers.

You may not know about the

hybrid salmon/trout species known

as the Steelhead. It’s a sea-run

trout that grows fat on the sea life

in the Sound before returning to

spawn in our rivers. For more info

call All Star Fishing Charters

(425)252-4188

The Stillaguamish and

Skykomish rivers have some of the

healthiest summer and winter

runs of hatchery Steelhead in the

state, and a not-to-be-missed

spring run of prized Wild

Steelhead. You would be wise to

hire a guide though. These fish

can weigh in at well over 20

pounds, and they fight. Catching

one on a fly is akin to a religious

experience.

There's also good saltwater

fishing from the Edmonds Fishing

Pier. It's open 24-hours a day and

is wheelchair accessible.

And the bass fishing is also

very good on some of our larger

lakes such as Goodwin and

Stevens. Contact us for a

complete listing of charter

operations and fishing guides in

the area. For license info, call

(360)902-2200.

7. Rock Hounding Western Washington’s varied

geology and geography make it a

haven for rock hounds. They scour

the beaches of Puget Sound and

Cascade Mountains for everything

from agates to petrified wood.

Quartz crystals and fossils are

some of the more popular finds,

and both are plentiful near Sultan

and Monroe on US Hwy 2 in

Snohomish County. Around the

Cedar Ponds Stubbs Hill area

you’ll also find jasper and leaf

fossils. In the High Rock, Tower

Hill area rock hounds are excited

about a new find of gold moss

and plume in blue agate.

They say all you need to be a

rock hound is a bucket, watchful

eyes, and an idea of where to go.

You can dig at will on public

lands. On private land, be sure

you have any permits that may be

required. You’re limited to

packing out 25 pounds of

petrified wood though, because it

is the Washington State gem. And

leave nature the way you found

it... undisturbed. Marysville Rock

& Gem Club (425) 334-6282

8. Hot Sox! What better way to spend a

summer night than watching the

oh-so-hot Everett AquaSox , the

Class-A affiliate of the Seattle

Mariners. You get a chance to see

tomorrow’s stars shine today. This

is where Ken Griffey, Jr. belted

out his first homer as a

professional (he was playing for

the Bellingham “baby M’s”).

Randy Johnson even pitched here

summer of 1996 after his back

surgery. And the M’s first-round

draft pick in 1995, Jose Cruz, Jr.,

got his professional start here in

Everett.

This is good old-fashioned

baseball too. The AquaSox play on

real grass, under starry skies: And

after an AquaSox game, you can

count on the players sticking

around to sign autographs. The

regular season runs mid June

through Labor Day.

For ticket information, call

(800)GO-FROGS.

www.aquasox.com

9. Dive Shipwrecks Come face-to-face with a gator

-sized lingcod, or a 20-pound

octopus, or just poke around a few

Picking Points: 1. No mushroom is poisonous to

touch.

2. If in doubt on a mushroom’s

identity, don’t eat it.

3. Only eat healthy mushrooms, and

ALWAYS cook them beforehand.

TRASH LASTS!

Orange peel-1 mo.

Paper cup-5 mo.

Sock-up to 5 yrs.

Milk carton-5 yrs.

Plastic bag-20 yrs.

Nylon-up to 40 yrs.

Plastic bottle-up to 80 yrs.

Pop can-up to 100 yrs. Source: Missouri Dept. of Conservation

3



http://www.aquasox.com

shipwrecks covered with sea life.

It's no wonder why the 27-acre

Edmonds Underwater Park, just

north of the ferry pier, is the most

popular dive spot in Washington.

But there is no shortage of other

spots for the state's 75,000

certified divers to explore. The

nutrient-rich waters of Puget

Sound, plus the tidal interplay of

salt and freshwater, mean there’s

plenty of interesting aquatic life

here. Slack current between every

high and low tide is a perfect time

to dive because the water is still.

Experienced divers can try

drift diving too. That means being

pulled along four feet off the

bottom; slowly in the wider

sections, and then whooshing

through the narrower rocky spots.

Or dive from a boat at the

Edmonds oil dock, one half mile

to the south of the underwater

park. The pilings are home to

white plumose anemones, spider

crabs, red rock crabs and

Dungeness crabs. Divers say it’s

like climbing into an aquarium.

For more information on local

dives, call (425) 771-0230

10. Radical Rapids There's a mind-boggling mix

of steep drops, narrow chutes and

non-stop whitewater on the Upper

North Fork of the Skykomish

River. "Boulder Drop", the most

famous rapid in the state, tests

even the most experienced

paddlers. This section of rapids is

definitely not for beginners, and is

only open during peak spring

runoff. The "Sky" was the state's

first federally-designated "Wild &

Scenic" river, protecting it from

dams and other restrictions to its

natural flow. Most of its nerve-

rattling rapids are Class IV and

even Class V, the toughest of all.

Or head to the Sauk River

near Darrington to experience the

Cascade Mountains’ "outback".

This federally protected Wild &

Scenic River runs through a

pristine valley teaming with

wildlife. As you navigate Class III

to Class IV rapids known as

"Jaws", and "Alligator Drop", you'll

be surrounded by hanging glaciers

and Cascade Mountain peaks.

Even experienced rafters and

paddlers would be wise to hire a

local guide. For a complete list

call (888) 338-0976

11. Airborne Fun Ballooning- A slightly milder

alternative for seeing the scenery

in the Snohomish Valley. Contact

Airial Balloon Company in

Snohomish for information on

sunrise and sunset flights. (360) 568-3025

Skydiving For thrill-seeking,

jumping from a plane ranks pretty

high. After instruction, even a

beginner can make a static line

jump at 3,000 feet. Your chute

activates automatically, and then

you glide gently to earth after

about five minutes. Or you can

tandem-jump harnessed to an

instructor, and actually freefall for

30 seconds. The chute opens at

about 4,000 feet, and your duo

deftly drops to target in 5

minutes. Skydive Snohomish

offers both options at Harvey Field

in the town of Snohomish.

(360) 568-7703

12. Cascade Climbing If you like risks enough to rock

climb, having the Cascades in

your backyard has its advantages.

There are climbs just about

everywhere, but here are two of

the bigger challenges. One of the

Northwest's hottest technical

climbs is the Index Town Wall, a

500-foot vertical climb that

towers above the community of

Index on US Hwy 2.

Another is three miles south

of the town of Darrington on the

Mountain Loop Highway.

Exfoliation Dome's east flank has

a 1,100-foot face known as Witch

Doctor Wall, with a 75-degree

angle. The west flank of the dome

has a slabby area called Blueberry

Hill. For more information on

these and other climbs in

Snohomish County, call (888)

338-0976.

And if you aren't quite ready

for the real thing, practice your

technique at the climbing wall at

the Vertical World in Everett.

(425) 258-3431

13. Trail Running Folks at REI, the Seattle

mecca for extreme sporting

goods, say they’ve seen an

explosion of interest in trail

running over the past year (it’s

also called outdoor cross

4



For additional story ideas, please

contact Julie Gangler, Media

Relations at [email protected]

“No Trace” Camping Tips:

1. In a remote area, find a site

that’s never been used, and

stay away from trails, lakes

and streams.

2. Don’t build camp structures.

3. Wash dishes and yourself

away from streams and lakes.

4. In an established campsite,

use the well-worn areas first.

5. Keep noise levels down.

6. Control pets, but it’s even

better to leave them at home.

7. Pack it ALL out!

training). They credit two things:

people enjoy working out in a

beautiful natural setting, and

improvements in footwear. Light-

weight trail running shoes

combine the sturdiness of a day

hiking boot with the feather-

weight of a stout running shoe.

We can give you hot tips on the

best trails to run.

14. Mountain Biking …at

midnight Technology is also shifting the

sport of mountain biking into ultra

-high gear. With sophisticated

new lighting systems that you can

mount on your helmet or handle-

bars, it’s possible to ride around

the clock. Here are a couple of

great night rides:

· Old Sauk Trail -

A three-mile ride is flat but it’ll

sharpen your technical skills. Off

the Mountain Loop Highway four

miles south of Darrington.

· Schweitzer Creek Loop-An

11-mile forest ride with a hefty

climb and a winding, rapid

descent. Midway along the

Mountain Loop between Verlot

and Silverton east of Granite

Falls.

· North Mountain Lookout

This 13-mile round trip takes you

up a good dirt road to an old fire

lookout (see next item on renting

fire lookouts), followed by a steep

descent. It starts off of Highway

530 north of Darrington. Cross

tracks, then take Forest Service

road 28. After 3 miles take a right

at the Y on Road 2810. Mount

Baker Snoqualmie Forest office

(425) 775-9702

15. Firewatching As long as you’re keeping this

kind of pace, why not ride or hike

up the mountain to spend the

night in a remote fire lookout?

You won’t actually have to watch

for wildfires. Helicopters now

handle fire surveillance.

At one time 466 lookouts

were staffed in Washington’s

forests. Once a firewatcher tried

to build a piano in his lookout,

but stopped when he couldn’t

come up with a plan for hauling it

downhill. Another firewatcher

would run six miles downhill to

Darrington every Friday night to

take his girlfriend to the town

dance. Then he’d run back up to

the lookout a few hours later so he

could make his shift early

Saturday morning.

Most lookouts have either

fallen into disrepair, or prey to

vandals. However, an army of

volunteers have lovingly restored

some lookouts. One of those is

Evergreen Mountain Lookout,

which is now available for rent.

And take heart, since they began

staffing lookouts back in the

1930s, there’s no record of any

firewatcher being hurt by

lightning at a lookout. We can tell

you who to call for reservations

and more information. For a

complete list of lookouts call

(888) 338-0976

5

Photo by US Forest Service



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